ROAST BEEF

Many people assume sirloin is the best cut for roasting because, having been knighted by Henry VIII, it carries a certain reputation. I don't think it's the best cut for roasting. I don't even think it's the best cut for steaks. For both roasts and grills there is a moister, more flavourful, and slightly cheaper option in my humble opinion... Forerib.

Pre-heat your oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas 7

Ingredients:

1 rolled prime rib of beef (forerib)
A little vegetable
Sea salt and coarse black pepper

Method:

1. Sprinkle your beef with a few tablespoons of oil, a small handful of sea salt and a teaspoon of black pepper and rub it all over.

2. Place a roasting tray over a high heat, add the beef and brown on all sides. Turn it fat side up then transfer to a pre-heated oven.
Roast for 30 minutes then turn the oven down to 170°C/325°F/ Gas Mark 3.

When roasting any kind of meat, regardless of how you want it cooked, your best friend is a meat probe. They're relatively cheap and will give you consistent results every time. You are looking for the following temperatures when the probe is stuck smack-bang into the centre of the meat....

Rare - 52 °C / 125 °F
Medium rare - 55 °C / 130 °F
medium - 60 °C / 140 °F
Well done - 65 °C / 150 °F

If you can't get your hands on a probe (or are too afraid to use one!) you need to weigh the beef before you begin cooking and follow this guide in addition to the initial 30 minutes:

Rare - 9 minutes per pound
Med rare - 12 minutes per pound
Medium - 14 minutes per pound
Well done - 18 minutes per pound

Remember, for a moist and tender roast you need to be resting the meat for at least 30 minutes prior to carving.

Note: I often get asked "how much beef do i need to give per porton?" which is a million dollar question for so many reasons: I don't know how hungry you are, what size you are, how active you are. A six foot five, eighteen stone lumberjack working tough 16 hour shifts is going to "need" more than a four stone ballerina. To make things easy to work out it isn't unreasonable to buy eight ounces of raw meat per person, bearing in mind it will shrink by 10-20% depending on how far you cook it. A 5 lb joint should feed 10 people.

Click here to buy a digital probe. You'll thank me for it in the end.